Operation Crusader order of battle
Encyclopedia
This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in Operation Crusader
, a World War II
battle between the British Commonwealth
and the European Axis Powers
of Germany
and Italy
in North Africa
between November 18 and December 30, 1941.
XIII Corps
Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was a military operation by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941. The operation successfully relieved the 1941 Siege of Tobruk....
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
battle between the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and the European Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
of Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
between November 18 and December 30, 1941.
British and Commonwealth Forces
- Commander-in-Chief Middle East CommandMiddle East CommandThe Middle East Command was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.The...
: General Claude AuchinleckClaude AuchinleckField Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
British Eighth Army
- Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General Neil RitchieNeil RitchieGeneral Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, KStJ was a senior British army officer during the Second World War.-Military career:...
XXX Corps
- Lieutenant-General Willoughby NorrieCharles Norrie, 1st Baron NorrieLieutenant-General Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie GCMG, GCVO, CB, DSO, MC & Bar was a British Army general during World War II, following which he served terms as Governor of South Australia and the eighth Governor-General of New Zealand.-Army career:After education at Eton and...
- 7th Armoured Division (Major-General William GottWilliam GottLieutenant-General William Henry Ewart Gott CB, CBE, DSO and bar, MC , nicknamed "Strafer", was a British Army officer during both the First and Second World Wars, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general when serving in the British Eighth Army.-Military career:Educated at Harrow School he was...
)- 4th Armoured Brigade
- 8th Hussars8th King's Royal Irish HussarsThe 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958....
- 3rd Royal Tank Regiment3rd Royal Tank RegimentThe 3rd Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1992. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as C Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917....
- 5th Royal Tank Regiment5th Royal Tank RegimentThe 5th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1969. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- 2nd battalion Scots GuardsScots GuardsThe Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
- 2nd Regiment Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
- 8th Hussars
- 7th Armoured Brigade
- 7th Hussars7th Queen's Own HussarsThe 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
- 2nd Royal Tank Regiment2nd Royal Tank RegimentThe 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- 6th Royal Tank Regiment6th Royal Tank RegimentThe 6th Royal Tank Regiment was a regiment of the Royal Tank Regiment, of the British Army, until 1959. It originally saw action as 6th Battalion Tank Corps in 1917.-First World War:...
- 7th Hussars
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 2nd Royal Gloucestershire HussarsRoyal Gloucestershire HussarsThe Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a unit of the British Army.Raised in 1795 following William Pitt's 1794 order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain, through various re-organisations, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars remain today on the establishment of the Territorial...
- 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
- 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
- 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
- 7th Support Group7th Support Group (United Kingdom).The 7th Support Group was a brigade size formation within the British 7th Armoured Division.-History:The 7th Support Group provided whatever support the division's armoured brigades needed for the operation in hand...
- 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. They are currently based in Caen Barracks, Hohne, Germany.-Current role:...
- 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
- 1st battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps
- 2nd battalion The Rifle Brigade
- 60th Field Regiment, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- One Bty, 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
- Divisional troops
- 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
- King's Dragoon Guards
- 11th Hussars11th HussarsThe 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
- 102nd Royal Horse Artillery
- 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- 1st South African Division (Major-General George BrinkGeorge BrinkLieutenant-General George Edwin Brink CB CBE DSO was a South African military commander.In 1913, Brink joined the Union Defence Forces...
)- 1st South African Infantry Brigade
- 5th South African Infantry Brigade
- 22nd Guards Brigade22nd Guards BrigadeThe British 22nd Guards Brigade was a British Army unit during the Second World War .-History:The 22nd Infantry Brigade was formed by the conversion of the 29th Infantry Brigade on 3 September 1939 and in March 1940 became responsible for all the troops in the Mersa Matruh Garrison area...
- 9th battalion Rifle Brigade
- 3rd battalion Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
- 7th Armoured Division (Major-General William Gott
XIII CorpsXIII Corps (United Kingdom)XIII Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I and World War II.-World War I:XIII Corps was formed in France on 15 November 1915 under Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve to be part of Fourth Army. It was first seriously engaged during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. On the First day on...
- Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-AustenAlfred Reade Godwin-AustenGeneral Sir Alfred Reade Godwin-Austen KCSI, CB, OBE, MC was a British Army officer. He served during the First and Second World Wars.-Early life:The second son of Lieutenant-Colonel A. G...
- 2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard FreybergBernard Freyberg, 1st Baron FreybergLieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO & Three Bars , was a British-born New Zealand Victoria Cross recipient and soldier who later served as the seventh Governor-General of New Zealand.A veteran of the Mexican Revolution, he became an officer in the...
)- 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 18th Infantry Battalion
- 19th Infantry Battalion
- 20th Infantry Battalion
- 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 21st Infantry Battalion
- 22nd Infantry Battalion
- 23rd Infantry Battalion
- 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 24th Infantry Battalion
- 25th Infantry Battalion
- 26th Infantry Battalion
- 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Frank MesservyFrank MesservyGeneral Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar, , was a British Indian Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars...
)- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st battalion The Buffs
- 3rd battalion 1st Punjab Regiment1st Punjab RegimentThe 1st Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment....
- 4th battalion (Outram's) 6th Rajputana RiflesRajputana RiflesThe Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles...
- 7th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st battalion Royal Sussex RegimentRoyal Sussex RegimentThe Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
- 4th battalion 11th Sikh Regiment
- 4th battalion 16th Punjab Regiment16th Punjab RegimentThe 16th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
- 1st battalion Royal Sussex Regiment
- 11th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st battalion (Wellesley's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
- 2nd battalion Queen's Own Cameron HighlandersQueen's Own Cameron HighlandersThe Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
- 2nd battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry5th Mahratta Light InfantryThe 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, whenthe Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment fought in World War II and raised 30 battalions...
- Divisional troops
- The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse)The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse)The Central India Horse was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed at the start of the Mutiny of 1857 and served in the Great War and World War II.-Formation:...
(Reconnaissance) - 1 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 25 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 31 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse)
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Army Tank Brigade
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment8th Royal Tank RegimentThe 8th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1960. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as H Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917....
- Valentine Infantry Tank (LT COL F K BROOKE) - 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( LT COL A C WILLISON) later ( LT COL A R MARTIN)
- 44th Royal Tank Regiment44th Royal Tank RegimentThe 44th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army during the Second World War. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps....
- Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank (LT COL HCJ YEO)
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment
- 2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard Freyberg
Tobruk Fortress
- Major-General Ronald ScobieRonald ScobieLieutenant-General Sir Ronald MacKenzie Scobie KBE, CB, MC was a British Army officer who commanded III Corps.-Military career:...
- 70th Infantry Division
- 14th Infantry Brigade
- 1st battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentBedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentThe Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army originally formed in 1688...
- 2nd battalion Black WatchBlack Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)It all began in 1725 when General Wade, as leader of the King's Army in Scotland, and involved in his great project of building the military roads there, set up six companies of the Highland "Watch". These were formed to stop fighting among the clans; controlling the roads was an important part of...
- 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster RegimentThe 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was formed by the redesignation of the 84th Regiment of Foot in 1881.-History:...
- 1st battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
- 16th Infantry Brigade
- 2nd battalion King's Own Royal RegimentKing's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)The King's Own Royal Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1680 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.-History:...
- 2nd battalion Leicestershire Regiment
- 2nd battalion Queen's Royal Regiment
- 2nd battalion King's Own Royal Regiment
- 23rd Infantry Brigade
- 1st battalion Durham Light InfantryDurham Light InfantryThe Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
- 1st battalion Essex RegimentEssex RegimentThe Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
- 4th battalion Border RegimentBorder RegimentThe Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
- 1st battalion Durham Light Infantry
- 14th Infantry Brigade
- Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle BrigadePolish Independent Carpathian Rifle BrigadePolish Independent Carpathian Brigade was a Polish military unit formed in 1940 in French Syria composed of the Polish soldiers exiled after the Invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the Polish Army in France...
- I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 11 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
- 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion
- Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
- Carpathian Field Regiment
- 32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
- 1st Royal Tank Regiment1st Royal Tank RegimentThe 1st Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It was originally formed as 1st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps in 1934....
- 4th Royal Tank Regiment4th Royal Tank RegimentThe 4th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1993. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- 'D' Squadron 7th Royal Tank Regiment7th Royal Tank RegimentThe 7th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1959.-History:The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- 1st Royal Tank Regiment
- 70th Infantry Division
Oasis Force
- Brigadier Denys ReidDenys Whitehorn ReidDenys Whitehorn Reid CB, CBE, DSO and Bar, MC and Bar was an officer in the British Army and the British Indian Army during World War I and World War II.-World War I and inter-war years:...
- 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment
Army Reserve
- 2nd South African Division (Major-General Isaac de Villiers)
- 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
- 4th South African Infantry Brigade
- 6th South African Infantry Brigade
Italian Mobile Army (XX) Corps
- Lieutenant-General Gastone GambaraGastone GambaraGastone Gambara was an Italian General during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.Born at Imola, he was commander-in-chief of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie during the Catalonia Offensive, the final offensive of the Spanish Civil War....
- 132 Armoured Division Ariete (General Mario Balotta)
- 132nd Armoured Regiment
- VII Tank Battalion
- VIII Tank Battalion
- IX Tank Battalion
- 32nd Light Armoured Regiment
- 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (Motorised)
- 132nd Artillery Regiment
- 132nd Armoured Regiment
- 101 Motorised Division Trieste
- 65th Infantry Regiment
- 66th Infantry Regiment
- 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 21st Artillery Regiment
- RECAM (Reconnaissance Unit of the Mobile Army Corps)
- 132 Armoured Division Ariete (General Mario Balotta)
German Afrika Korps
- Generalleutnant Ludwig CrüwellLudwig CrüwellLudwig Crüwell , was a German general known for his involvement with the Afrika Korps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
- 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-SilkowWalter Neumann-SilkowWalter Neumann-Silkow was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)- 8th Panzer Regiment
- 115th Infantry Regiment
- 33rd Artillery Regiment
- 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Johann von RavensteinJohann von RavensteinJohann "Hans" Theodor von Ravenstein was a German officer in the armed forces and held the final rank of Lieutenant General. He fought in the First and Second World Wars and was taken prisoner by New Zealanders at Point 175 during the Second World War...
until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl BöttcherKarl BöttcherKarl Böttcher was a German general who commanded several divisions during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
)- 5th Panzer Regiment
- 104th Infantry Regiment
- 155th Artillery Regiment
- Special Purpose Division Afrika (Renamed 90th Light Africa Division from 28 November 1941) (Generalmajor Max Sümmermann until 10 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Richard Veith)
- 155th Infantry Regiment
- 361st Infantry Regiment
- 55th North African Infantry Division 'Savona' (General Fedele de Giorgis)
- 15th Infantry Regiment
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 12th Artillery Regiment
- 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow
Italian XXI Corps
- Lieutenant-General Enea Navarrini
- 17 North African Infantry Division Pavia
- 27th Infantry Regiment
- 28th Infantry Regiment
- 26th Artillery Regiment
- 25 North African Infantry Division Bologna
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry Regiment
- 205th Artillery Regiment
- 27 North African Infantry Division Brescia
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 55th Artillery Regiment
- 102 Motorised Division Trento
- 61st Infantry Regiment
- 62nd Infantry Regiment
- 46th Artillery Regiment
- 17 North African Infantry Division Pavia